Brits watch ‘less TV than ever before’

British people are watching “less TV than ever before,” with viewing time across all platforms decreasing by 14 minutes between 2013 and 2014, according to new research by IHS.

The study reports “record lows for traditional TV viewing time” in the UK last year, with the average Brit watching around three hours of TV each day – 43 minutes of which were spent watching recorded shows on services like Sky+ and YouView.

“The UK was an early mover with high quality online catch-up services from local broadcasters like the BBC and Channel 4. This has now been joined with clever marketing initiatives like ‘digital box sets’ from Sky and the presence of the major platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime,” said Dan Cryan, senior director of media and content at IHS Technology.

In France, people watched about 216 minutes of broadcast TV per day, 10 minutes less than the year before, but above the 2010 average. ‘Non-traditional’ viewing time increased by 17%, reaching 21 minutes per-person per-day in France.

In Germany, people watched 210 minutes of broadcast TV every day in 2014, an average that did not change from the year before. Pay TV subscriptions in Germany grew by 700,000 in 2014, continuing its seven year growth trend.

The Spanish watched on average 242 minutes of TV per day, a slight drop from 2013’s figure, but online video viewing increasing by 24%.

Meanwhile, Italy, unlike the rest of Europe, saw viewing time increase. Traditional TV viewing has grown by an average of four minutes and 42 seconds per-person per-day between 2008 and 2014 to reach four hours and 20 minutes.

“Continued growth of viewing, in particular linear, can be attributed to Italy’s difficult financial situation, with high unemployment correlating to an increase in TV viewing time on a per-person per-day basis,” said Cryan.

In the US, people watched an average of 351 minutes of TV per day, equivalent to almost six hours, with a decline in linear TV offset by the growth of other forms of viewing.